Mr. Wireless Lands West Virginia Derby

A month after earning his first graded stakes score in the Indiana Derby (G3), JIL Stable's Mr. Wireless held a game Warrant at bay to capture the Aug. 7 $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort. The bay son of Dialed In graduated second time out in March for trainer Bret Calhoun at Oaklawn Park and followed up that effort with an allowance optional claiming win before undertaking stakes competition in the May 31 Texas Derby. Mr. Wireless ran gamely in that outing, withstanding several body slams in the stretch run from the race's third-place finisher Rightandjust, to fall short by three-quarters of a length to a wide-closing Warrant. Mr. Wireless returned with a dominant 3 3/4-length tally in the Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand, which merited his 8-5 favoritism in Saturday's West Virginia Derby. Away sharply in the six-horse field, Mr. Wireless was content to track the early speed under regular pilot Ramon Vazquez. Kinetic Sky dueled with Bourbon Thunder on the front end through a first quarter-mile in a steady :23.82 and half-mile in :47.86. Down the backstretch, Mr. Wireless and Warrant, who had been tracking the front tier in fourth, began advancing on the leaders, with each dipping three and four-wide around the turn. After three-quarters went in 1:12.48, Vazquez asked Mr. Wireless for his best at the top of the stretch and the gelding shook off a tiring Kinetic Sky and Bourbon Thunder, surging to a three-length advantage. Warrant rallied boldly late but could get no closer than 1 1/4 lengths to Mr. Wireless at the finish. Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) victor Bourbonic, running in second-to-last position for most of the race, came on late to grab third. Paying $5.20 for the win, Mr. Wireless clocked the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:52.49. "I couldn't see the start because of where I was standing, and going into the first turn I saw he was three-wide," said co-owner Jon Lapczenski after the race. "But Ramon does what Ramon does—he got the horse to relax. And Mr. Wireless does what he does. He has only given up the lead once in his career. When he gets the lead he's all heart." Calhoun, watching from Saratoga Race Course, said: "(Mr. Wireless) was in good position the whole way around, and looked like the rider was sitting on a lot of horse. He ran a trouble-free race, and when Ramon asked him, he did his job." Recording his fourth win from six lifetime starts, Mr. Wireless upped his earnings to $670,150. Calhoun noted a potential start in the Sept. 25 $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) was "very possible" for the gelding. Mr. Wireless was bred in Kentucky by John Kerber and Iveta Kerber and is out of the Arch mare Voussoir. He is a half brother to the graded stakes-placed Goldencents filly Ain't No Elmers, who recently finished third in the July 28 Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) at Saratoga. Voussoir produced a 2-year-old full sister to Mr. Wireless named Ain't Broke who has yet to make her first start and delivered a colt by Goldencents this year. She was bred to Gun Runner this past term. A race earlier on the card in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds and up, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Sprawl turned back 2020 Canadian Horse of the Year Mighty Heart for a gritty 1 3/4-length victory. Coming off a third-place finish to Whitney Stakes (G1) runner-up Maxfield in the June 26 Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky homebred was sent off as the 8-5 favorite in the West Virginia Governor's Stakes. Under Joe Talamo, Sprawl locked heads with Mighty Heart out of the gate and the two ran stride for stride nearly every step of the way, setting a moderate tempo of :24.39, :48.08, and 1:13.41. Inside the eighth pole, Sprawl began to get the better of his rival before striding clear. Mighty Heart secured second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Bourbon Calling in third. The 1 1/16 miles was ran in 1:44.95. "I thought he was done (heading into the stretch) but he switched leads and found another gear," said winning trainer Tom Drury. "The inside is not so good on this track, but Joe did a great job. This is my first graded stakes win for Claiborne, and after Departing (owned and bred by Claiborne Farm and Dilschneider) finished second in the (2016) Governor's Cup, I guess they owed us one. I am so proud of this horse." A 4-year-old son of City Zip, Sprawl has a record of 4-0-5 from 16 career starts for earnings of $401,653. Sprawl becomes the first stakes winner for the blue-blooded Awesome Again mare Amen Again, a half sister to successful stallions Congrats and Flatter. Amen Again also has a yearling Lookin At Lucky coly, foaled a Runhappy colt this year, and was last bred to City of Light.